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Spring Sensory Bin

Spring is finally here! What better way to introduce it other than through a sensory bin. For those of you wondering what a sensory bin is, it’s basically setting up a tactile experience for the children to explore, all stuffed within a container. Of course, we have to make sure that the container is big enough to fit a good variety of themed items. This time I wanted to make a Spring scene, showing grass, trees, blossoming flowers, insects and animal babies.

Age: 18 months + (beware if you’re child is still mouthing)

As a child, we learn easier through our senses. Sensory bins allows children to use all senses and creates new connections between items and ideas that are connected through a common theme. They can use their eyes to explore shapes and colours in trees, flowers and insects. They can also uses their sense of smell if you use real flowers and small plants. Using their sense of touch, children can explore different textures between grass blades and flower petals. On top of that the practice language skills to talk about what they’re exploring and adding their own imaginary narrative.

Alex always get excited about whenever I set up new sensory bins. He would say things like “the scorpions would give you poison when they bite you, that’s why he’s on top of the mossy rock”. Or practice his numeracy skills “… I have one..two..three..four ladybugs.”

Materials:

Green Dyed Shredded Coconut

Cut out some flowers

Various insects such as ladybirds, butterflies, spiders, etc

Potted trees

Container 40cm x 60cm

Instructions:

Prepare all the materials to put in the container.

Use your imagination and freely create a small world that looks like Spring.